Pharmaceutical company Novartis has earned $50.42 billion from its cancer drug Glivec since 2001, using a variety of market-exclusivity protections to shield the medication from competition.

The chart below shows Glivec's market progression. The drug was licensed for six different rare diseases, earning additional protections in each instance. By later withdrawing these protections, Novartis could also secure additional protections to reap back the lost market exclusivity while the drug was still in development and for testing in children.